Remembering icons in the year of Bihar election

“Mujhe garv hai ki mai Chamar hu (I am proud to be a Chamar),” said Bindeshwar Ram, a Vikas Mitra and resident of Bihar’s Gaya district, at an event in Patna to commemorate the 647th birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Ravidas, a 14th-century saint from the Chamar (cobbler) caste associated with the Bhakti movement and considered an icon of the Scheduled Castes (SCs).

Such events are organised by political outfits every year to mark the day, but this was the first time that the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department had organised it and Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] chief and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar turned up as the main speaker.

Being a State event, it was positioned as a capacity building programme for Vikas Mitras, who are recruited under the Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Mission to act as a bridge between the government and Mahadalit communities for executing development projects in gram panchayats. According to the State government’s recent caste survey, SCs constitute 19.65% of the population.

Caste politics has long been entrenched in Bihar, with individuals often embracing their caste identities and proudly representing them. With the Assembly election due in October-November this year, ruling and Opposition parties are vying for votes by organising events to commemorate the birth and death anniversaries of prominent figures from various social groups in the State.

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) — comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its allies such as the Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and the JD(U) — has set a target of winning 225 of the 243 seats in the Assembly. The Congress will be contesting the election as part of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led Mahagathbandhan or grand alliance, which also includes the Left parties. Nitish is aiming for another term as Chief Minister.

The Opposition has also entered poll mode. While the State Congress unit held an event with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as the chief guest to celebrate the 130th birth anniversary of Jaglal Choudhary, a Dalit leader and freedom fighter, on February 5, RJD leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav organised the ‘Teli Hunkar Rally’ on February 9 to pay tribute to Bhama Shah, an aide of Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap and icon of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

In their quest for votes, however, politicians often overlook basic courtesy. Bhudev Choudhary, son of Jaglal Choudhary, alleged that he was neither allowed to meet Rahul nor invited on stage at the event organised to mark his father’s birth anniversary in Patna. “I wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi on the dais, but I was not allowed by the security personnel. I felt very bad that I was not given due respect at the function. The Congress has insulted my father. For vote bank politics, they are using his name,” Bhudev said.

The following day, State Congress president and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh invited Bhudev to Sadaqat Ashram, the State party headquarters, and honoured him.

Politicians also often use events and celebrations honouring prominent figures as a platform to target their opponents. An example of this was when Rahul went on to attack the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, barely mentioning the Dalit leader’s contributions.

“We were brought by a local Congress leader to attend the event. We were offered breakfast as well as lunch. An arrangement to return home by bus was also made. We are happy that at least a big leader like Rahul Gandhi has come. How much of an impact it will have on the election, only time will tell,” said Arun Manjhi, a resident of Aurangabad, after attending the event.

Countering Rahul’s outreach to Dalits, senior JD(U) leader and Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary, a prominent Dalit face of the ruling party, said: “The Congress did not celebrate the birth anniversary of Jaglal Choudhary all these years, then why did it do so this year?”

Observing birth and death anniversaries of iconic figures can sometimes be a caste-specific affair, with politicians from particular castes using these events to connect with their communities. For instance, the death anniversary of Maharana Pratap is primarily observed by politicians from the Rajput caste. Recently, JD(U) MLC Sanjay Singh held an event at his residence to mark the occasion, which was attended by the CM.

Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha, who leads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, plans to celebrate the birth anniversary of Samrat Ashoka, a significant event for the Kushwaha caste. Similarly, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary is observed to promote unity among the Kurmis.

‘Vote bank politics in mind’

“Political parties hold different functions to celebrate the birth anniversary of the same icon in their own capacity. Parties give the message that they are following the path of icons, but in reality they have only vote bank politics in mind. Many times, birth anniversary celebrations by different parties stretch for weeks,” says Patna-based political observer Sanjay Kumar. “These icons, however, should not be confined to caste; they are above it. But it is futile to speak about it as the only motive that political parties have for observing such occasions is vote bank politics,” he says.

The birth anniversary of Jagdeo Prasad, who fought for the rights of the marginalised, was celebrated by all major political parties in the State on February 2. Even the newly formed Jan Suraaj Party observed it on February 4. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, a key leader from the Kushwaha community (traditionally Koeri caste), paid floral tributes in Patna and used the opportunity to criticise RJD chief Lalu Prasad. “Lalu Prasad did not do anything except seek votes in the name of Jagdev Babu. He has only done work for his own family members,” he said.

By celebrating the anniversaries of icons belonging to the Kushwaha community, the NDA is looking to step up its outreach to the OBCs. Nitish represents the Kurmi and Koeri communities, which together constitute around 10% of the State’s population. Chief Ministers in the State have come from the Rajput, Bhumihar, Kayasth, Kurmi, Brahmin, Dalit, Muslim, and Yadav communities, but a Kushwaha leader has never occupied the chair. The only exception was Satish Prasad Singh, who held the post for just five days in 1968. BJP leaders are projecting Nitish as the NDA’s chief ministerial face for the election.

In 2015, the Cabinet’s decision to declare April 14 as a holiday to commemorate Samrat Ashoka’s birth anniversary sparked controversy, with many historians terming it a “fictitious birthday”.

Nayanjot Lahiri, historian and archaeologist, states in her book, Ashoka in Ancient India, “We don’t know exactly when Ashoka was born. That he was born sometime in the cusp of the fourth and third century BCE is certain, but the particular day, month, and year is not known.”

Despite the historical ambiguity, politicians are willing to overlook it to appeal to the Kushwaha community, the largest OBC group in the State after the Yadavs.

BJP leaders in Bihar are making efforts to consolidate OBC votes, with MLC Pramod Chandravanshi recently holding a ‘Chandravanshi Ekta Rally’ in Patna, followed by MLA Krishna Kumar Mantu’s ‘Kurmi Ekta Rally’ on February 19. Notably, a similar ‘Kurmi Chetna Rally’ was held at Gandhi Maidan on February 12, 1994, when Nitish and Lalu were still allies, but Nitish challenged Lalu’s leadership, ultimately leading to his departure from the party in November and the formation of the Samata Party with socialist leader George Fernandes. Although Nitish was projected as the CM face in the 1995 Assembly election, the party won only seven seats. It wasn’t until 2000 that he first became Chief Minister.

Staking claim to legacy

After the OBCs and Dalits, all political parties are eyeing the votes of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) by observing the birth and death anniversaries of socialist leader Karpoori Thakur. Rich tributes were paid to Thakur on his 37th death anniversary on February 17, with leaders of political parties claiming to be the “real successors” of Thakur in a bid to reach out to EBCs.

The caste survey revealed the demographic breakdown of Bihar’s 13-crore population, with EBCs and OBCs making up nearly 63%. EBCs form the largest segment at 36%, followed by OBCs at 27%, while the general category accounts for 15%. SCs and Scheduled Tribes comprise 19.6% and 1.6% of the population respectively.

Thakur, who belonged to the Nai (barber) community and passed away in 1988 at the age of 64, was the first non-Congress socialist leader who became Chief Minister twice — first for seven months in December 1970 and later for two years in 1977. In March 2024, Thakur, known affectionately as ‘Jan Nayak (people’s leader)’, was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna.

On January 24 this year, BJP leader and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the 101st birth anniversary celebration of Thakur in Bihar’s Samastipur district. “Karpoori Thakurji’s life was not for himself but for the poor, downtrodden, and farmers. Time is like the flow of a river in which everyone gets swept away but there are some who create history. Karpooriji has created a new history in the service of the poor and the backward,” he said.

To commemorate the death anniversary of Thakur, the RJD flagged off 11 Karpoori Vichar Raths on February 14, aiming to spread his thoughts and ideals. At an event in Sonbarsa, Sitamarhi district, on February 17, Tejashwi launched an attack on the BJP and JD(U). “See the power of Karpoori Thakurji and socialism, the people who used to abuse him are the ones who are giving him the Bharat Ratna today,” he said.

The JD(U) also observed Thakur’s death anniversary at the State party office in Patna, with Nitish, who had been in New Delhi the previous day, rushing back to attend the event.

‘Moral bankruptcy’

On the politics surrounding birth and death anniversaries in the State, political theorist Rajeev Bhargava says, “The moral bankruptcy of the current political leadership is such that no one can really look up to them. Hence, the greater need currently to create or excavate heroes from our near and distant past.”

According to Vidyarthi Vikas, an Assistant Professor at the A.N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies, Patna, such events serve a dual purpose. “I have observed that this is not only for vote bank politics. It is also about identity politics. The aim is to preserve the identity of a particular caste or group by organising such events. This is also done to continue the legacy of that caste, so that people remember leaders for the next 50 years or even though they are no more,” he says.

Vikas says by organising such programmes, local leaders are creating an “opportunity for themselves so that society can recognise them”.

Shivanand Tiwari, 80, RJD’s national vice-president, reminisces about the simplicity of commemorating birth and death anniversaries in the past, which weren’t marred by chaos. He recalls a time when people honoured freedom fighters. “In Bihar, figures like Karpoori Thakur, Shri Krishna Sinha (first CM of Bihar), Anugrah Narayan Singh, and Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Narayan were fondly remembered, with the public demanding that their legacies be celebrated.”

Tiwari says nowadays anniversaries are observed with an ulterior motive. “It is done to attract a certain class and to become a sympathiser of that class. In the past, such events were simple and solemn. For today’s programmes, attendees are often brought in to participate, and leaders forsake the simplicity that once characterised these occasions,” the RJD leader says.

However, Virendra Sav, who attended Tejashwi’s ‘Teli Hunkar Rally’, expresses pride and gratitude towards politicians for acknowledging his Teli community “for the first time in Bihar”. He notes that his community has transitioned from traditional oil processing to trade and business, and welcomes the attention from leaders, even if it is during election time. “We don’t mind that we are being remembered at the time of election. We will always support those leaders who will do good work for our community,” Sav says.

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Edited by Vishal Mathew